Nora Cadwallader (safekeep) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-09-14 20:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | nora cadwallader, rhys cadwallader |
WHO: Rhys & Nora Cadwallader
WHAT: The Flying Cadwallendas over the years
WHEN: 2000, 2008, 2010, 2017
WHERE: Various locations
WARNINGS: đ
"Everybody, this is Nora Snell. Snell is our new Keeper, so let's show her a good practice today." Nora knew she should be listening to her new captain's every word, but her nerves and butterflies left her just wanting to get started already. Her broom seemed just as ready to fly as she did--she didn't think she was imagining that--and besides, she already knew everyone's names. Who didn't already know the names of their house's Quidditch players? She went through a series of handshakes and friendly smiles. "And this is Cadwallader. He's gonna keep you safe up there." The tall boy gave her a warm, welcoming smile and extended yet another handshake to her. âItâs good to have you on the team, Snell.â he said brightly. âYouâre one of us now.â "Glad to be here." Nora smiled, willing herself not to think about how handsome he was. She didn't want even to consider dating someone on the team, she'd decided, in case things got awkward. She just wouldn't think about it. She'd try really hard not to think about it. If Rhys had noticed just how pretty their new Keeper was, he showed no sign of it. She was one of his teammates now, and he was nothing if not professional. Still, he continued smiling in her direction even once the introductions were finished and the others began to ready themselves to start, snapping out of it only once it was time to mount his own broom. âIâve got a good feeling about this next match,â he said aloud to no-one in particular as he hopped on with the ease of someone whoâd been doing this for a long time now. "Me too," she agreed eagerly, and they were off. "Alright so, what's your weirdest Auror adventure?" Nora asked, popping a couple of ice mice as she half-watched the match in front of them. They'd already covered the Hey, how have you been, it's been ages, I heard you're a Mediwitch now⌠bit, and weird Auror stories sounded much more interesting. It wasn't every day she bumped into an old teammate turned action hero, after all, and the Cannons were proving to be just as dreadful as usual so she could use the diversion. Despite his usual reserved nature, Rhys hadnât stopped beaming yet throughout this delightful surprise of an encounter. He had to think on it for a moment, but once he recalled something that he thought she might find entertaining, he began to chuckle at the thought of it. âOkay, so one time, there was this fellow causing a havoc -- just leaving behind a trail of terror and destruction; it was awful, really -- and we couldnât figure out how he was getting around to do all this without anyone noticing him. Long story short, turns out he was an unregistered animagus -- a bloody swan, no less. When we finally tracked him down, he hid in a flock of them, and we had to fight an entire flock of angry waterfowl. It probably looked pretty funny, but if youâve ever had to contend with an angry swan -- animagus or not -- youâd know theyâre no laughing matter.â Rhys feigned a serious look, but it cracked almost immediately. Nora's quickly muffled guffaw at the word 'swan' burst right back out at the end of the story and the visual it offered. "I absolutely believe it, swans are unhinged," she said. Her eyes shone as she laughed. "You ought to tell that story on dates. Do you tell that story on dates?" she added, subtly. Rhys chuckled and shook his head. âNo, not really. I donât really -- â he began, then bit his lip, thinking better of it. He wasnât usually a shy person, so why was he feeling self-conscious now? He changed the subject, âWhat about you? What kind of weird Mediwitch stories do you tell on dates?â He made a slight face -- was that an awkward question? He hoped it wasnât an awkward question. "I usually just impress them by healing up their paper cuts," Nora said breezily. "Have you got any paper cuts? I'm really very good at it." Rhys grinned at that and made a show of looking at his hands. âNo, but should I get one?â "Ahhh, no, as a medical professional I really can't advise--" She was cut off by the screams of the crowd as a bludger flew too close to the stands and she ducked on instinct. Then, blushing at probably looking a little ridiculous, she decided to deflect with a bit of light trash talk. "Yikes. You never would have let that happen. Your Catapults are slacking, Rhys." He feigned mild indignation, though he was clearly amused by sweet little Nora Snellâs light-hearted teasing -- and compliment. âTheyâre just having an off-moment, but theyâll pick it up. Youâll see,â he said, obviously having a difficult time trying to keep a straight face. âBut youâre right. I never would have let that happen. I ought to give him a good talking to after they win this match.â "Professional athletes with bats love it when you tell them how to do their job better, so I'm sure that'll go really well for you," Nora said. She was reluctantly half-watching the action after the close call with the bludger, though she would rather have been watching just Rhys. "Besides, he'll be so down in the dumps after the Cannons make an amazing comeback that he'll definitely want to hear all about his failings." Rhys scoffed. âNora, Nora, Nora⌠I think my hearing must be going, because it almost sounded like you used âthe Cannonsâ and âamazing comebackâ in the same sentence. The only thing the Cannons are going to win is a participation trophy,â he joked. Nora put a hand to her chest as if she'd just been deeply offended. "How dare you, sir. We are crossing our fingers and hoping for the best!" Then, an idea popped into her head and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "In fact ⌠how's about a little wager?" He raised an eyebrow, curious. âAlright. Letâs hear it.â "How about âŚ" she bit her lip as though she were thinking, "The loser has to take the winner out on a date?" Both eyebrows went up this time. That sounded like a win-win situation to him. Rhys couldnât help but to smile widely at the prospect. âItâs a date -- I mean, itâs a deal. Deal.â he said brightly, extending his hand to shake on it. She shook his hand with a smile. The Cannons lost, of course. The Greek Isles somehow managed to be even more breathtaking from the air. Flying high above Samos on their honeymoon, the vivid blue of the sea stretched on as far as the eye could see. Below them, lights twinkled along the bay as the sun set, but Rhys mostly only had eyes for Nora. His wife. He could still barely believe this wasnât just a dream. âWhat do you think? Where would this rank on our island hopping list?â he asked her, swooping in close enough to try to give her a peck on the lips. A little updraft left Nora with a kissed nose, and she laughed. "You know, everytime I think I've got a favourite, another one pops up. How is everything here so beautiful? Look at all the rooftops! And the sailboats! I'm glad you talked me into this, Mr. Cadwallader." âIâm glad you humoured me, Mrs. Cadwallader,â he said, still getting used to the way that rolled off the tongue. It sounded as perfect as this felt. âWhile none of it compares to your good looks, I guess the sceneryâs alright.â Rhys joked. âWe should do more of this. See the world together. We could make a list. Iâll take you anywhere you like.â "You are so cheesy," Nora said. It was not a complaint. She felt a little thrill every time she'd heard 'Mrs. Cadwallader' in the last few days, and it wasn't getting any duller. She chanced and reached out to hold his hand. It wouldn't make flying any easier, but that didn't matter right now. "We've got time to see the world. I'm happy right here." He squeezed her hand in return. âIâm happy wherever you are, no matter what. I love you, Nora Cadwallader,â Rhys said, perfectly content with being cheesy. "I love you, Rhys Cadwallader." This time, there was no interrupting updraft. âI donât know about this, Nora. I donât know if I can do it.â As exciting as the idea of being able to fly again was, Rhys was apprehensive. After nearly a yearâs worth of setbacks and disappointments, he wasnât sure if he was ready for another. A few months back, he hadnât been sure if heâd even be able to walk again, let alone fly, and now that the opportunity was in front of him, he was beginning to second-guess himself. Perhaps it was too soon after all. What if he just made a fool of himself and injured himself further? What if this was all a mistake, and the effort could have been better spent on something more useful? He looked from the new, modified broomstick to Nora, searching her face for either reassurance or confirmation that yes, in her professional opinion this was a stupid idea. Sheâd been his constant throughout the years; she would tell him honestly. It wasn't always easy for Nora to keep the line between wife and mediwitch, between protecting Rhys from harm and pushing him through rehabilitation even when it was difficult. She always tried to answer his questions and assess his situation like he was any other patient. She tried to be as honest with him and with herself as she could be, though sometimes that meant saying things neither of them wanted to hear. But he was getting better, and he would only keep getting better if they kept pushing further, little by little. "Hey," she said, taking both his hands in hers and giving a comforting squeeze. "We don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing, okay? If you want to stop, we'll stop. Healer Ross gave you the clear, but that just means he thinks you can, and that I think you can. But that doesn't mean you have to." Rhys squeezed her hands in return and took a deep, steadying breath, though his brow was still creased with worry. He looked to the broom, which hovered in place waiting for him to give it a try. It would have been a shame, he supposed, to quit without even having given it a chance. âWell, if you think so, then I trust you. Iâll give it a try. Donât tell anyone how ridiculous I look, yeah?â He gave her a small smile, half-joking, half-not. He limped forward on his crutches, wincing slightly when his knee threatened to buckle out from under him once he tried to swap a crutch for steadying himself with the broom handle instead. He tried to pull himself up onto it side-saddle just to get it under him, looking sheepish when even this proved awkward. Rhys looked again to Nora; at least, despite all this, he knew she would never judge him. âCan you um, can you please help me with this?â he asked her. Nora jumped up to help. She'd been ready, but waited respectfully until he asked. (She was too quick sometimes to take up tasks she thought were difficult for Rhys, but she was getting better about it. When he wanted help, he would say so.) After a few moves and adjustments, she said, "There. Comfortable?" He nodded, feeling a bit more secure now. âYes, thank you.â He gave her a small smile and placed his hands on the broom, trying to work up the nerve to try it out. Now that he was up there, it felt a bit less daunting, a bit more normal. Rhys took another deep breath. âOkay. This is alright. Do you think I should try it out? âSlow and close to the groundâ, of course. I remember.â "How about I walk and you can fly alongside me?" Nora suggested. It was a tether, both to the ground and to her in case something went wrong. It would also keep her from falling into old habits and flying too far ahead, or too fast, or pushing him further than he could safely go yet. She turned so she could walk ahead of him but backwards and he could focus on her instead of the ground or his legs. She started to walk. He steered the broom forward slowly, perhaps a bit haltingly at first, though it got better once he focused on Nora entirely and tried not to look down. âItâs been a really long time, hasnât it?â Rhys said conversationally, hoping that talking instead of thinking about what he was doing would help. âWe used to go flying all the time, and now I feel like Iâm five years old again.â He chuckled, perhap a tad nervously. "Hey, five year olds have it pretty good," Nora said. She flashed him a smile to keep him focused, keep him from getting to nervous and in his own head. That was when mistakes happened, and there wouldn't be any mistakes today. She knew how much this meant to him. "They get to play all day. They get imaginary friends. They get to learn new things every day. Five sounds pretty alright to me." Rhys snorted with laughter. He could always trust Nora to diffuse a situation with gentle humour. âThatâs very true. We get to have hot chocolate whenever we like, though. And stay up late watching Netflix.â She arced her path gently so Rhys would have to turn to follow her. "That sounds like the five year old's greatest grown up ambition, honestly. Maybe we can find Teletubbies on there, what do you think?" He followed, barely thinking about the turn as muscle memory began to kick in ever-so-slightly. âIf thatâs what youâd like, sure. Maybe we can get some fruit snacks, too.â "Tempting!" Nora laughed. "I will definitely consider it. I think we've got a while out here yet though. What do you think?" Much of his earlier anxiety had already dissipated, so he didnât have to think on it long. âYeah, I could do this for awhile. You know, if you donât mind. Itâs actually kind of fun.â Nora nodded and picked up her pace just a little. "For you, Mr. Cadwallader, I've got all day." |